Lead, Follow, or Go for a Walk
It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at Lux Virtual and last week I had to cram 5 days of work into 3.5 days of available time. My brother had invited me on a trip for a long weekend to a ranch in Carmel Valley, far from cell phone towers, wifi, and smog. I got to spend a few slow days drinking wine, going on walks, spending time with my family, and just thinking.
When schedules get busy and deadlines are looming we tend to become very action-oriented. What’s the next checkbox on the to-do list? What needs to get out tonight and what can wait until morning? This mindset is often necessary for crunch time. There’s no time for pondering or second-guessing decisions. It’s do or die, sink or swim, fish or cut bait…you get the idea.
And all of this fine, for a while. But a few days away in the countryside reminded me of the value of down time, time to ponder and reflect. We are often urged to prioritize what’s important, not merely urgent. But it takes thoughtfulness and perspective to correctly make that distinction. There’s a season for executing the plan, but first you need a plan. That takes time.
In Los Angeles extra time seems to be the rarest of resources. Everyone is busy, busier than ever. Long hours at the office, lack of sleep: these are the battle scars we proudly display, evidence of our loyalty to the cause, proof that we are pulling our weight and earning our keep.
At Lux Virtual our goal is to help our clients communicate their ideas in a clear, easy-to-understand way. Clear communication requires clear thinking, and clear thinking doesn’t come in a can. It must be cultivated and given time to grow. We work hard here, but working hard is not enough–we have to work thoughtfully.
So I started this Monday morning not with phone calls or emails, but with a walk around my neighborhood. The best ideas seem to come when I’m in the shower or on a walk, and with this drought I can’t just shower all day long. So I walked. It was a good walk, and it gave me some ideas. I’d like to make a habit of walking and thinking in the morning in the hope that my days will be not just busy, but purposeful.